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ckshaw13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
savaging's review against another edition
5.0
Several months ago, Missy read me this paragraph from Olive Kitteridge:
"And yet, standing behind her son, waiting for the traffic light to change, she remembered how in the midst of it all there had been times when she’d felt a loneliness so deep that once, not many years ago, having a cavity filled, the dentist’s gentle turning of her chin with his soft fingers had felt to her like a tender kindness of almost excruciating depth, and she had swallowed with a groan of longing, tears springing to her eyes. (“Are you all right, Mrs. Kitteridge?” the dentist had said.)"
It went on my reading list. No, I don't like books that use phrases like "tender kindness of almost excruciating depth," but all the same I was once on a red-eye flight back home when an annoying little brat in the seat next to me fell asleep against my shoulder, and the warmth of human contact here of all places, hurtling above the earth, was suddenly, unbearably blissful.
These are stories about love, at its most mundane and disappointing and over-hyped. Those tired old relationships between the long-married, and between parents and grown children, all of them brimming with lies and resentment. Olive Kitteridge is a mean old crank who shows up in each story, at times only tangentially. Her depressed cynicism works wonders to save nuclear-family stories from sentimentality. And here's the thing: when I fall in love with Olive Kitteridge, despite (or because of?) all of her cruelties and pettiness, then I'm suddenly left with only that, with the surprising resilience and pervasiveness of love. Love! -- Olive and I both are embarrassed to use the word. But this was one of the most truly hopeful books about human relationships I've ever read.
"And yet, standing behind her son, waiting for the traffic light to change, she remembered how in the midst of it all there had been times when she’d felt a loneliness so deep that once, not many years ago, having a cavity filled, the dentist’s gentle turning of her chin with his soft fingers had felt to her like a tender kindness of almost excruciating depth, and she had swallowed with a groan of longing, tears springing to her eyes. (“Are you all right, Mrs. Kitteridge?” the dentist had said.)"
It went on my reading list. No, I don't like books that use phrases like "tender kindness of almost excruciating depth," but all the same I was once on a red-eye flight back home when an annoying little brat in the seat next to me fell asleep against my shoulder, and the warmth of human contact here of all places, hurtling above the earth, was suddenly, unbearably blissful.
These are stories about love, at its most mundane and disappointing and over-hyped. Those tired old relationships between the long-married, and between parents and grown children, all of them brimming with lies and resentment. Olive Kitteridge is a mean old crank who shows up in each story, at times only tangentially. Her depressed cynicism works wonders to save nuclear-family stories from sentimentality. And here's the thing: when I fall in love with Olive Kitteridge, despite (or because of?) all of her cruelties and pettiness, then I'm suddenly left with only that, with the surprising resilience and pervasiveness of love. Love! -- Olive and I both are embarrassed to use the word. But this was one of the most truly hopeful books about human relationships I've ever read.
alicesreadinglife's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jobustitch's review
4.0
I admit it. Olive Kitteridge is a big part of my inner voice. I have mellowed, and don't automatically default to this voice anymore (what the hell are we doing, who the hell are you, this is a stupid way of doing things), but it's still there 70% of the time.
Great character development! It was a pleasure to read.
Great character development! It was a pleasure to read.
klaudi_bud's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Very relatable; sad, hopeful, and moving at the same time. A beautiful compilation of lives and characters intertwined throughout the short stories in the book.
thebugreadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
sankitch87's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aasnur's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kirrasbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I read Olive, Again first and found I enjoyed that one more! This collection portrayed Olive as less likeable to me and the stories felt less gripping. However, it was lovely to get back to Crosby and I still devoured this and really enjoyed the read. Stout is swiftly becoming one of my fave writers, I love her style immensely!
missyjohnson's review
4.0
Olive is the piece that ties each of the individual stories together. The Kitteridge family and the residence of Crosby Maine are the focus of the different stories that make up this novel. Olive plays different parts in each, sometimes large and sometimes only a sentence but significant in each one. Olive is misunderstood by most and loved by few. To me, she is very loving but unable to convey it to those that she loves the most. She seems to have deep feelings but unable to convey those emotions. Her statement to Jack about being in Hell after the death of a spouse was a such a sad point in that story. It is too bad that Olive was unable to convey to Christopher how much she loved him. I could identify with Olive in several places but was also glad that I did not identify with her in others. I have hope that Olive continues to find joy in her life and has the opportunity to “set right” many relationships